Feeding - Page 1

This may sound kinda stupid, but indulge me if you will....

I have always had a free feeding regime for my dogs - primarily dry dog food - Kirkland.  The dogs are not separated - they live with us in ou house.  They're all pets. 

I have three dogs.  All intact.  All of them get the same amount of exercise every day - usually twice a day, aerobic running for at least 1/2 hour in a field once a day, and lots of bush running over logs, through brush, sometimes an additional 2 to 3 times daily.  Two of my dogs are completely different in terms of structure than the third.  I have a male - 85 pounds, lean and leggy , a female 65 pounds with fine features, also on the lean side, and then the third female - build like a tank, slung low to the ground, thick bones and loose tiger belly and 95 pounds.  She is only a year and a half.  She tends to lag behind the others in exercise - although she tries to keep up, she can't.  They race like greyhounds and she lopes behind them. 

This big girl even eats lying down withthe bowl between her paws.  The dogs never fight over the food, though - we just keep the bowls full.

While she is naturally heavier than the other two because of her structure, I have begun to wonder if she's eating too much.    I wouldn't call her overweight yet - but I'm leaning towards caution.

I know labs and some other breeds will over eat and gain weight, but I never thought free feeding kibble could result in a GSD being overweight.  Or, are some lines more prone to simply being really heavy set? 

Does anyone have any experience with a dog gaining weight on simply dry kibble?  (its been easy for us to feed them by just filling the bowls, but if we have take the food away or separate them, we will- but we're in this nice lazy regime that it would be easier not to change.... LOL)

Your female that is 95 lbs is clearly too heavy.  I'd stop free feeding her and get the weight down. She shouldn't be more than 70 lbs tops.  Some dogs should never be free fed just because they have voracious appetites.  I have 2 that would probably eat themselves to death if I free fed them. 

Good luck.

Judy

Move more,
Eat less.

GSDs and being overweight is deadly, watch those hips going down the drain. Free feeding it's bad idea for any dog, especially one that loves to eat. If I would let my female eat whenever she wants she would be easily over 100, my other female been free fed and she is always underweight, so in general for either type of dog you better off not too free fed, Feeding regiment creates good habits in a dog.

No dog should have a free feeding bowl no more than us humans should have if you do then expect some to put on weight at her weight she is overweight Ration her intake is the wisest thing to do
steve1

Thanks folks.  I will start removing the bowl.  It was never an issue before because the other two have always been lean dogs, but I can see it not being in this girl.s best interest.  Much obliged for the good info. 

No free feeding.

Think about it, if you have a bowl full of cookies in front of you the whole time, you'll munch on them.

Why? Because it's there.

No free feeding, make her portions smaller with same amount of exercise as you have now.